Pocket lighter construction



@ha 2 1950 ws. s'roKEs POCKET LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 25 1945 .l wll 11.1 rd l Patented Feb. 21, 195i) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEV POCKET? LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION William S. Stokes, Trzana, Calif.

ApplcationFebruary 25, 1946, Serial No. 649,833

4: Claims..` (Cl. .GTT-7.1)

Thisv` invention relates to "devices employing a Wick for carryinga liquid-,.,and`while.the inven-` tion is applicable in anysituati'on Where-liquid which is immersed in av lightingyiiuid',` and the' other endl of which is exposedv to Athe atmosphere when the-'snuifer Ais raised rto. remove `its-snuliing`r head from the Wick; this opening movement .of thersnuier being usuallyaccomplished'by amanually operated buttonV or stem on the casingof the lighter. One ofthe objections tolighters :of this type, is that,v on account of the fact that the lightingnuid must behighly volatile, a considerable quantity of the iiuidr'is constantly evaporating fromthecuter endA of thewick, andas a matterv of fact,l probably moreof the lighting fluidl is wasted'in this Way, thanv is actually employedf-i-n the lighting of the cigarettes or cigars.

One, of the objectsof thisinvention islto pro-- vide means vfor mounting a wick inf-a devicefof any! kind that employs a Wick along which a liquid passes, in such' a wayv that fibersof1the-W1ck ican be clamped withv a controlled pressure soasv to effect a reduction in the capillary movement to:`

the outer-end of thevwick'; but at-thesame time allowing a sufcient amount of the liquidA to-pa'ss to the outer'end of thelwick to insure that 1t -Will sparking device of the lighter is operated;y

Another object .ofy the invention is toA provide simple means carried onl the lighter itself, for en abling adjustments tobe' mader at thelk Wick mounting for regulating-'ther degree-of pressurel that is exerted upon the wicktocontrol1the` amount of liquid thatlcan pass to its 4outerend."

Another object ofthe inventionisto provide. manually controlledV means of simple Vconstrue--A tion, and including a lspring-capable of-,holding the snuffer in its closed position, or inzitsopen position, and particularly to` construct 'the parts; cooperating'to this end in'such'azway as to ifa cilita'tetheir assembly in theflighter.;

Another object of the invention is to producev a'r' construction. that :will simplify the; machining operations that are necessary in the manufacture.v

of the device..

Further objects-of the invention Will appear. hereinafter.

The AinventionV consists .in the novelparts. and' combination of partsto bedescribed hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient.

Docket: lighter construction.

light dependably `in the usual Waywhen the- A: preferred embodiment of the invention is described inthe following .specication, while :the

broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the'appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig.; 1 is aplan of .a` Ipocketrlighter embodying;

my invention.

Fig. 2'is' asidel elevationwith portions oftheI casing'wall broken away so as toillustrate they detailsof thev construction.

Fig... 3is a, vertical section takenk about on the.

liney 3--3 yof Fig. 2, passingthrough the pivoted end of-the snuffer, but -omitting the parts'that cooperate with thevsnuerto operate'it.

Figi. 4 is-.av verticali section .taken aboutonathe line 4-4 '.ofiFig.; 2,*,passing--through` the casing` and .the snufferhead, andi'showing the same iin:

section, butxillustratingathe Wickandits mounting in siderelevation'; thisViewralsosliowathe means for adjusting-the'pressureon the vvickifto regulatethesupplyfof lighter fluid-.that can-pass to the outer `end `of the Wick.

Fig;y 5 is a sectionv upon an' enlargedl .scalef through the Wick mounting and through the crm-I tiguous portion; of thecasng `that supports the same. Thisview illustrates thev Wick in dotted outline to show .thedetails of the preferred means that I may employ -forienabling the` pressure on' the.- wick kto be-regulated, including au split collet., Fig. 6 isazfplan of the split colletillustrated in Fig. 5.

Before. proceeding .to a `more-:detailed description of the invention, it should be statedthat rin applying v,my improvement to .a Wick that is carrying; liquid by capillary attraction,v I providera;

mounting for the wick that-includes a member that is capable of changing its Width, andthis: member is mounted or constructed so as to'exert pressure upon the fibers-of lthe Wick int order to' compress vthem :and reduce the quantity of liquid that canpass the point where-the pressure is exerted; ancll Iralso provide means for regulating;

the degree of pressure upon the wick.

As applied to thev pocket lighter such as illustrated inthe drawing, the` casing -1 of this lighter:- is constructedV with aV reservoir 2 :for theI lighting,

fluid, into which a vwick -3fdepends, the `upper. portion` oftheWicka'beir1g;fsupportedv in azmountingl supported` in the,casing which yWill beffdescribed more -in .detail presently. The `upper end portion 5 of the wickprojectsbeyond the ymounting` andris disposed` ina well orpocket'formed' in. theupper endof.- the casing.

'lhe` mounting 4v` for the wick preferably. in-z cludes a threadv connection: and means mounted inthethread connection` in such al Way-thatfloyVVV rotating vthisfmeans, the bersof the Wick can'f be'r'compressed. In thepresent instance; I preferA to accomplish this by providinga collapsible col: let 1,-1which collet is in theformfof a split sleeve,

that is to say, it has a longitudinally disposed slot 8 extending through it.

This collet has a tapered lower portion or tip 9 which is substantially conical and received on a substantially conical seat I8 that is formed in a relatively thick horizontal web or wall 2a that forms the upper end of the reservoir 2.

Coaxially with the conical seat Ill, I provide a threaded counterbore II (see Fig. 5) in which I mount a follower I2 which is in the form of a sleeve, the lower end of which is in contact with the upper end of the collet. 1

In order to enable the follower I2 to be tightened up so as to force the collet 1 downwardly on its conical seat I0, I prefer to provide the upper end of the follower I2 with two diametrically opposite notches I3. These notches are of square form to enable the follower to be rotated by means of a driver I4v which is removably mounted in the bottom wall I5 of the lighter.

For this purpose the bottom of the lighter is provided with a fitting or boss I6 that is secured tightly in an opening formed in the bottom. This boss I S has a threaded opening in which the threaded shank I1 of the driver I4 is received. The body of the driver I4, which is the upper endof it as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, is notched as indicated, so as'to form two projecting forks I8 that are diametrically opposite to each other.

The lower end of the driver I4 has a large screwdriver head I9 which can be rotated by the back edge of a knife blade or similar means, to unscrew the driver I4. This can be done readily because the thread on the threaded shank I1 of this driver is upset. The upper portion of the driver I 4 is formed with a bore 20 indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, which is sufficiently large to receive the projecting end portion 5 of the wick.

Before the lighter reservoir 2vis lled with a lighting fluid, the driver 28 should be applied to the upper end of the sleeve I2 to tighten it up, and cause the collet 'I to clamp the wick and constrict it at the lower end of the collet as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Before doing this, of course the wick should be adjusted so as to have the projecting end portion 5 of the desired length.

The upper portion of the wick, of course passes freely through the bore of the sleeve I2. After adjusting the pressure on the wick as suggested, the lighter can then be inverted and filled with a lighter fluid through the threaded opening in the boss I6. Then the driver I4 is replaced in the boss I6 and screwed up tight to make a fluid-tight connection. If desired, a gasket can be employed under the head i8, although none is illustrated in the drawing.

The upper wall 2| of the lighter is formed with a large slot 22 that fits to the outline of a snuffer 23, which snuier is in the form of a lever, the body portion 24 of which may have parallel side faces as shown in Fig. 1, the other end of the snuier being enlarged in size to form a snuifer head 25. This snuffer head is shown in crosssection in Fig. 4. It presents a downwardly projecting wall that surrounds a pocket 26. When the snuier is in its closed position as indicated in Fig. 4, the lower end of the circumferential wall 25a seats on the upper end of a boss 21 that projects up from the upper wall 2o of the reservoir 2. This substantially closes ol air in the pocket 26 so that the flame on the wick will become extinguished.

In order to enable this snuffer to hold itself -iii in its closed position as illustrated, or in an open position swung up on its pivot pin 28, I provide a compression spring that is mounted in the casing in such a way that it can exert thrust upon the snuffer on two lines, one of which lies on one side of the axis of the pivot 28, and the other of which will lie on the other side of the pivot. In order to accomplish this, I provide a well or socket 29 that extends down into the interior of the casing and on the vertical side 38 of the same that is remote from the location of the reservoir 2. The lower portion 3l of this pocket 29 is cuneiform with upwardly diverging side walls 32 and 33, but as indicated in Fig. 3, the side faces 34 of the cuneiform extension 3l are parallel with each other. These two faces 34 are far enough apart to permit free movement of a coil spring 35 which is disposed around a wobble pin 3B, the lower end of which rests upon the bottom of the cuneiform socket 3|. head 31 near its upper end, but above which the pin 36 terminates in a projecting pintle 38. As illustrated in Fig. 2, in the closed position of the snuffer, the upper face of the head 31 is pressed against the under side of a small dog 39 that projects downwardly and toward the left side as viewed in Fig. 2, from the lower edge of the snuier body 24, being forced against this lug by reason of the fact that the spring 35 is in a state of compression. In this position, the line of thrust upon the lug 35 is along a thrust line that will pass to the left of the pivot pin 28, and this of course will operate to hold the snuffer closed.

Adjacent to the lug 39 and on its left side as viewed in Fig. 2, a recess or a socket 48 is formed in the adjacent edge of the lever or body 24 of the snuffer. When the wobble pin 36 is in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the left side of the head 31 rests against a manually operated part which, in the present instance, is in the form of a push button or stem 4i, the inner end of which is formed into a beveled head 42, the beveled face whereof engages the side face or edge of the head 31.

When the lighter is to be operated, pressure upon the push button or pin 4I will swing the wobble pin 36 toward the right and over toward the wall 33. will engage the left side of the lug 39 and swing `this lug 39 toward the right. This will of course swing the snuffer 23 upwardly on its pivot pin 28. This opening movement of the wobble pin 36 will of course be arrested by the edge of the head 31 impinging upon the upper end of the wall 33, and at this time the upper end of the pintle 38 will be lodged in the apex of the recess or notch 48. In that position of the head 31 and pintle 38, the line of thrust of the head 31 against the end of the lug 39 will of course pass on the right-hand side of the pivot pin 28, and this will hold the snuifer in its open position.

By pressing down on the free end of the snuler or at any point between the pivot pin 28 and the snuffer head 25, the snuffer can be pushed back into its pocket or recess 22 in the upper end of the casing.

`It will be evident that the push pin 4I and the wobble pin 36 can be very inexpensively constructed. Furthermore, no skill whatever, is required to assemble them in the casing. After they have been put in place, of course the pivot pin 28 is inserted through the aligning openings for it in the snuer arm and the side walls of the slot 28.

The lighter shown in the drawing, is illustrated This pin carries a rigidV When this occurs, the pintle 38v as provided with the usual lighter wheel or roller 43 that is pivotally mounted in a socket at the upper corner of the lighter casing and adjacent to the upper portion of the wick. This wheel of course strikes a spark from a cooperating piece or flint 44 when the wheel is rotated forcibly in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. This flint 44 is of course guided in the usual manner in the casing, and pressed forcibly against the face of the wheel by a coil spring i5 indicated in dotted lines.

One of the advantages of this invention is that the threaded counterbore Il is of uniform diameter. This greatly simplies the operation of threading this bore. Another advantage is that the collet 9 has a plain conical tip, and does not engage the threads of the bore. This leaves this split collet free to become restricted by the plain conical bore I0 in which it is seated.

The use of a plain conical tip in an unthreaded socket is also most advantageous compared with a tapered threaded tip in a threaded tapered socket such as disclosed in the German patent to Kunstmann, Number 357,395, for the reason that the pressure exerted on the collapsible split collet is the same at all points around its circumference. Hence a given amount of orientation of the driver It can be depended upon to give a certain definite amount of constriction to the wick, and the force resisting the rotation of the follower is substantially conned to the rictional resistance due to forcing the tapered surface on the tip straight in on the tapered surface of the socket. In a device constructed like the Kunstmann device, the principal resistance ywill be offered by the side edges of the slots as the collet rotates, and the pressure at the slot edges will of course be greatest at the tips of the tongues between the slots. These edges of the slots will act like cutting teeth tending to abrade the surface of the socket. This will materially reduce the useful life of the lighter. Furthermore, the machining operations necessary to be performed in the Kunstmann lighter are more numerous and diiiicult than those necessary to produce the lighter disclosed in my application.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device employing a wick adapted to raise a liquid by capillary attraction, a collapsible member of rigid material surrounding the Wick, having a substantially conical tip, a tapered seat for said conical tip, and means distinct from said collapsible member for forcing the said conical tip against said tapered seat to press said member against the periphery oi the wick to reduce the quantity of liquid passing the constricted point.

2. In a device employing a wick to carryv a liquid by capillary attraction, the combination of a member with a substantially lconical seat, a split collet of rigid material surrounding the wick, having a plain unthreaded tip to engage the tapered seat to compress the collet upon the wick, socket means including a thread connection of uniform diameter throughout its entire length; and threaded means removably carried by said device at said thread connection capable of effecting movement of the collet against said tav pered seat. I

3. In a lighter of the kind described, the combination of a casing having a plain conical seat, a collet of rigid material devoid ci thread hav-` ing a plain conical tip received on said seat to surround the lighterwick, and means mounted in the casing above the collet for adjusting the collet downwardly onto the seat to regulate the degree of compression which it exerts upon the wick.

4. A lighter according to claim 3 in which the collet is provided with a single slit extending through its entire length.

WILLIAM S. S'I'OKES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,216,806 Condit Oct. 8, 1940 2,258,086 Bolle Oct. '7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number ICountry Date 204,315 Switzerland l of 1939 328,876 Germany of 1920 357,395 Germany Aug. 274, 1922 

